University of Massachusets Athletics
Saturday, December 30
Richmond, Va.
4:30 PM
University of Massachusetts
2-11,0-1Atlantic 10
45
at
65
VCU
12-1,1-0Atlantic 10
1
2
3
4
F
Massachusetts
16
11
8
10
45
VCU
17
16
19
13
65
Minutewomen Defeated By Rams On The Road, 65-45
December 30, 2023 | Women's Basketball
UMass returns home to the Mullins Center on Tuesday, Jan. 2 for a 5 p.m. tip against Dayton.
RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team fell to VCU on the road in the Atlantic 10 opener on Saturday evening in the Siegel Center, 65-45. The Minutewomen return home to the Mullins Center as they host Dayton on Tuesday, Jan. 2 for a 5 p.m. tip as part of two straight games at home.
Tori Hyduke, Stefanie Kulesza, and Kristin Williams each scored eight points to lead the Minutewomen offensively while Kulesza and Chinenye Odenigbo added six and five rebounds, respectively. Bre Bellamy chipped in seven points with Lilly Ferguson adding four off the bench.
Williams scored the first eight points for the Minutewomen, including a 3-pointer that gave UMass an 8-7 lead following the media timeout. Ferguson beat the quarter buzzer with her first points of the afternoon, putting home a layup to make it a 17-16 game in favor of VCU after the first. UMass shot 50-percent in the opening frame while forcing VCU into nine turnovers in the first 10 minutes and 13 in the half.
UMass used a 5-0 scoring run to tie at 23-23 with 4:25 to go in the second after a pair of Hyduke free throws. The Minutewomen made five consecutive from the stripe during the scoring run and finished the quarter 7-of-10. Both teams went without a made field goal for over three minutes in the second quarter before VCU put together an 8-0 run over 2:17 of game time to take a 31-23 lead with 1:44 left in the half. The Rams shot 52-percent from the field in the opening frame to lead 33-27 at the break.
VCU opened the third on a 7-0 run to build its then largest lead of the evening at 40-27 with 6:22 to go. The run was part of a 14-2 stretch for the Rams to begin the quarter before a Bre Bellamy 3-pointer with 2:21 on the clock.
UMass held VCU without a field goal for the final 4:51 of action to bring the game to a 65-45 final. The Rams shot 46-percent from the field on the game and 33-percent from 3-point range while the Minutewomen shot 33-percent from the floor.
Tori Hyduke, Stefanie Kulesza, and Kristin Williams each scored eight points to lead the Minutewomen offensively while Kulesza and Chinenye Odenigbo added six and five rebounds, respectively. Bre Bellamy chipped in seven points with Lilly Ferguson adding four off the bench.
Williams scored the first eight points for the Minutewomen, including a 3-pointer that gave UMass an 8-7 lead following the media timeout. Ferguson beat the quarter buzzer with her first points of the afternoon, putting home a layup to make it a 17-16 game in favor of VCU after the first. UMass shot 50-percent in the opening frame while forcing VCU into nine turnovers in the first 10 minutes and 13 in the half.
UMass used a 5-0 scoring run to tie at 23-23 with 4:25 to go in the second after a pair of Hyduke free throws. The Minutewomen made five consecutive from the stripe during the scoring run and finished the quarter 7-of-10. Both teams went without a made field goal for over three minutes in the second quarter before VCU put together an 8-0 run over 2:17 of game time to take a 31-23 lead with 1:44 left in the half. The Rams shot 52-percent from the field in the opening frame to lead 33-27 at the break.
VCU opened the third on a 7-0 run to build its then largest lead of the evening at 40-27 with 6:22 to go. The run was part of a 14-2 stretch for the Rams to begin the quarter before a Bre Bellamy 3-pointer with 2:21 on the clock.
UMass held VCU without a field goal for the final 4:51 of action to bring the game to a 65-45 final. The Rams shot 46-percent from the field on the game and 33-percent from 3-point range while the Minutewomen shot 33-percent from the floor.
Team Stats
UMass
VCU
FG%
.326
.460
3FG%
.167
.333
FT%
.632
.636
RB
23
41
TO
21
23
STL
9
10
Game Leaders
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballG
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